These nasty things have invaded my garden. They spread with underground runners. When you pull them up, they stink something awful - if I don’t wear gloves when weeding, my hands stink for hours.
I’ve tried googling but I must not be using the right terms. I live in southern Maryland, but I think they came with some plants I got from my mom and she lives in northern Maryland. My next step will be to find the local ag office and ask there, but it’s easier to tap into the collective brain of the SDMB, right?
I tried searching for heart-shaped leaves, reddish edge, white flowers. No luck. And it’s not clear from these pictures, but the stigma is about 3/8-1/2" long. So, anyone?
Zhé’ěrgēn (Chinese: 折耳根, “broken ear-root”) is the edible rhizome of Houttuynia cordata (yuxingcao, 鱼腥草 “fish-smelling leaf”) with a fresh, spicy, peppery flavour that is used in southwestern Chinese cuisine, i.e. that of Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan and western Guangxi. Typically the leaves are eaten in Sichuan and the root in Guizhou. Zhé’ěrgēn fried with cured la rou (a dried meat resembling ‘Chinese bacon’) is one of the staple dishes of Guizhou.
Btw: I see you asked the question originally in the mmp. Which I think has a very limited reader base.
I sent my mom a picture of it, since I was pretty sure she was the source. She called it a Resurrection Plant and said she’d bought it! Once she realized what a pest it is, she tried to get rid of it - obviously without luck. I figure I’ll spend my summer (and probably next summer, and on and on) yanking the little bastards up.
And thanks for the top on Seek, @Folly - I’ll give it a try!
On cannabis forums it’s not uncommon for a newbie to post a picture of a sprouted seed under a similar title. “Ahh, yes. The cotyledons of East Coast Sour Diesel. Looks like a female too!”
I use the app “PictureThis”. They’re a little naggy about the full version, you have to kill a splash screen when opening (X is either in upper right or there’s a cancel button towards the bottom). It’s fairly accurate, I’d say I disagree with the judgment under 5% of the time. Google Lens is pretty terrible comparatively.
Once she realized what a pest it is, she tried to get rid of it - obviously without luck. I figure I’ll spend my summer (and probably next summer, and on and on) yanking the little bastards up.